Radiation curing has become an important and useful technique for applying and curing coatings, inks, and adhesives. As described herein, radiation curing involves presenting a radiation-curable monomer, typically in combination with a photoinitiator, and exposing the composition to radiation in the form of ultraviolet or electron-beam radiation to cause the radiation-curable compound to polymerize.
Radiation curing presents many advantages, such as high rates of throughput, low energy requirements, and low equipment costs. In addition, it is advantageous that users are able to avoid using a solvent when the composition to be radiation-cured is prepared. Solvents typically would lead to environmental and/or safety hazards, and would require additional equipment and handling steps to remove the solvent.
There remains a need for radiation-curable compounds, photopolymerizable or otherwise, which provide improved polymerizability and which can be formulated into a variety of coatings, films and the like readily and rapidly.